INSIDE THE BLACKHAWKS.

Upbeat Eriksson Tries To Show He Cares

December 09, 1999|By K.C. Johnson, Tribune Staff Writer.

The gashes on the bridge of Anders Eriksson's nose and above his right eye are courtesy of a Tony Amonte high-stick. That they occurred in practice speaks volumes about the defenseman's recent troubles.

Scratched for three of the past four games, Eriksson is expected to return to the lineup Thursday against New Jersey. In 24 games, Eriksson has a goal and 11 points and owns a plus-minus rating of minus-3.

Management, meanwhile, has begun to question his work ethic, which led to a long meeting following practice on Wednesday with associate coach Lorne Molleken. Eriksson, who has kept a positive attitude throughout the process, considered the meeting a good sign. For good measure, he stayed after practice Wednesday to do some extra skating drills.

"I'm a laughing and fun person, and sometimes that comes across like I don't care," Eriksson said. "But obviously, I care. I've been part of a team that won for many years (in Detroit) and this is a learning experience. But if I have to change my personality, or at least pick my spots, I will because hockey is my life. It brought me here and I feel fortunate to make a living doing something I love."

Management hopes the recent inactivity will light a fire under Eriksson. By their public statements, there is no sign they plan on giving up on the 24-year-old, whom they consider a two-way threat.

"He's a skilled player who will be a very important person on this team before it's over," said general manager and head coach Bob Pulford. "We're going to teach him how to be a good hockey player. He's got the skill to be better than a good hockey player, and you can't teach skill. What we have to do with him is relatively simple. Because he has skill, we just have to teach him how to play."

Eriksson seems quite willing to learn.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself," Eriksson said. "I want to develop into one of the best defenseman in the league. Maybe (sitting out) will be a good experience because I recognize the effort it takes now."

Walking wounded: The Hawks may be forced to recall a forward from Cleveland of the International Hockey League if a sudden rash of minor injuries doesn't subside.

Blair Atcheynum and Ed Olczyk remain out with back injuries, although Olczyk is practicing on a limited basis.

Defenseman Sylvain Cote will miss Thursday and Friday games with a strained hamstring suffered at practice, the first pulled muscle in his 16-year career. Jean-Yves Leroux is questionable for the New Jersey game with a bruised abdomen. And Boris Mironov will test his hip pointer at Thursday's morning skate before making a decision on whether he'll play.

Eric Daze, who suffered a slight groin pull against Edmonton, practiced on Wednesday and will play against New Jersey.

Catch this: On the flip side of the dire injury talk, Jocelyn Thibault participated in several drills Wednesday and experienced less pain while catching slap and wrist shots with his broken left ring finger.

"This was a big step forward," Thibault said.

When Thibault suffered the injury at St. Louis on Nov. 27, he said he hoped to return in two weeks. But the goaltender suffered a setback three days ago when he accelerated his work in practice and experienced pain.

On Tuesday, a team doctor cut a piece of loose skin and some of the nail off the injured finger. That and a new splint afforded Thibault more optimism.

"Obviously, there's still a little pain, but I wasn't scared to catch pucks," he said. "I couldn't tolerate pain from a slap shot before. Now I can. If I get a few more days of practice to get my head and timing sharp, I might be back for (Sunday against Calgary.) But that's the coach's decision."

No return: Late Wednesday, Pulford released a statement ending any speculation that San Jose coach Darryl Sutter would return to the Hawks as coach in the wake of Molleken's demotion to associate coach. Sutter recently declined a contract extension from San Jose.

Pulford has stressed repeatedly that Molleken will return next season. The following statement merely solidifies that position:

"There has been no contact with (Sutter) regarding a coaching position," Pulford said. "Nor will there be any contact."